Ancients and Old Ones : Book 8 of the Heku Series

by T. M. Nielsen

  “It’s not uncommon for the Valle to ignore us though.”

  “True, but I got the impression from the last meeting that something was happening,” Richard said. His innate ability to know when someone was lying to him solidified his place as Equites Chief Interrogator.

  Chevalier sat back in his chair, “At first I thought it was because they had the four Ahabe followers and didn’t want to give them back. Now though, I wonder what’s up.”

  The Faction Liaison Officer turned to the Elders, “I could go and see what I can fish out.”

  Zohn shook his head, “I don’t think we should send anyone. Our sources say that it’s an internal Valle issue that’s creating the delay in responding to our request.”

  “If our sources are wrong, then the Valle could be stockpiling an army.”

  “We have nothing else?” Chevalier asked. “All they say is that it’s internal?”

  Quinn shrugged, “The messages we get from inside are always cryptic.”

  “Then let’s pull out one of our spies and get answers.”

  “We want to break a hundred years of infiltration just to find out that the Valle Council is having a spat?”

  Chevalier sighed, “No, I guess not. I would assume if the Valle were planning an attack that our spies would let us know.”

  “They have in the past.”

  “Double the Gate Guards, just in case,” Kyle said. Mark nodded and disappeared from the trial area to carry out the orders.

  “Should we get the Ahabe followers out of the way?” the Court Reporter asked.

  Quinn nodded, “Let’s do. They are causing problems in the prison, still trying to stage a mutiny, even after 400 years.”

  “It’s not often that banishment doesn’t cure a heku’s appetite for criminal activity.”

  “Bring them in,” Chevalier said to Derrick. It was almost 20 minutes later when 8 Prison Guards wrestled the four heku into the trial area.

  “What took so long?” Zohn asked them.

  “They keep fighting us,” one of the Prison Guards said as he forced one of the prisoners to his knees.

  “Stay then, I don’t feel like tackling them every time they feel like making a break for it,” Kyle said.

  The Prison Guards nodded and stood behind the four on their knees.

  The Court Reporter stood and addressed the Council, “Ryder, Crow, Gessop, and Lance were banished 416 years ago for attempting to mutiny the Council at the time. They were sentenced to 400 years banishment. When they woke up a few weeks ago, they were immediately sought out to destroy as unfactioned. Lady Emily encountered them and brought them to us, where they ran from the Cavalry. The Cavalry caught up easily and imprisoned them, to be killed. Once in prison awaiting execution, they tried to rally the Prison Guards and all prisoners to mutiny against us again.”

  When the Court Reporter sat down, the Records Keeper passed down thick file folders full of information on the four heku. Each member of the Council began looking through the files while the council chambers remained completely silent.

  After almost four hours of reading, they finished and Zohn looked down at them, “How is it that after 400 years of suffering, you still want to banish us?

  “Because we want the Equites to be the strongest faction,” the Leader of the four snapped.

  “We are,” Zohn told him.

  “No you aren’t! The Equites are big, that doesn’t mean they are the strongest.”

  “We’re the strongest and the largest.”

  “You have a mortal living here!”

  Chevalier smiled, “I love how we’re weak because of Emily, yet the factions fight to get her.”

  “They don’t fight because she makes you strong,” the heku said, irritated. “They fight to get her to get to you.”

  “Yet she burned you…”

  “Someone did. I suspect the Chief Enforcer was there.”

  “Did you see me?” Kyle asked.

  “No, you were hiding.”

  Chevalier sat back, smiling.

  “Emily aside, we’re still the strongest faction and trying to stage a mutiny is a serious offense,” Zohn said.

  “I vote to kill them,” Chevalier said calmly. “Apparently banishment didn’t work.”

  “You can’t kill us!” one of them yelled. “We’re the Equites’ only chance to come back to power.”

  “This from someone who was arrested by a mortal,” Kyle chuckled.

  “We were not! You were there, don’t try to deny it.”

  Quinn studied them, “Were you all involved in trying to incite a riot in the prison and enlist the Prison Guards to let you stage a mutiny?”

  The four looked at each other, but none spoke.

  One of the Prison Guards kneed the leader in the back and then spoke, “They all four were working on it, Elder.”

  “Very well, then I vote death also,” Quinn said.

  Zohn nodded, “Death.”

  Kyle was just standing up when the four sprung to their feet and began a fight with the eight Prison Guards. Kyle sat back down, smiling, and watched the Prison Guards tear the mutinous heku to pieces. Once done, the Prison Guards moved up to stand before the Elders, all looking elated and excited to go tell the other guards about the small fight.

  “You can’t go in there…” Derrick said quickly.

  “No, it’s ok,” Emily said as she walked into the council chambers. Her eyes grew wide at the carnage in the trial area and she backed up suddenly to get further away from part of a skull that sat on the blood-stained ground ahead of her.

  “Em…” Chevalier said, instantly beside her.

  She swallowed hard, cringing at a hand that was mangled and tossed off to the side, “What happened?”

  He took her hand and led her through the mass of body parts to the Council’s seats, where she sat down and looked at the blood covered guards. They shifted nervously and tried to pick pieces of heku from their clothing in a feeble attempt at cleaning up.

  “Feel better?” she asked them, somewhat still in shock.

  “Yes, Lady Emily,” one of them said with a grin.

  “Who was it?”

  “The four hek…” he stopped suddenly when Chevalier glared at him.

  “Which four heku?” Emily asked, looking up at Chevalier.

  He sighed, “The four recently un-banished.”

  “The ones I brought you!?”

  Chevalier nodded.

  She looked around at the body parts again, “I think I told them I wouldn’t let you kill them.”

  “I didn’t know that,” he said softly.

  “Maybe I’m wrong… but… does it have to be so bloody?”

  One of the Prison Guards stifled a grin and turned away to look at the butchery behind him.

  “No it doesn’t,” Zohn said. “However, they tried to run.”

  Chevalier took Emily’s arm when she turned a slight shade of green, “Are you ok?”

  “It’s just… making me sick to my stomach,” she whispered, staring at a nose on the floor in front of them.

  “Are you pregnant?” Zohn asked suddenly.

  She turned and frowned at him, “No.”

  He smiled, “Not an invalid question.”

  “I’m not always pregnant.”

  “Coulda fooled us,” Kyle said jokingly.

  She started to make a snide remark, but thought speaking may actually make her throw up. When she began to pale, Chevalier chuckled and pulled her up to standing, “Let’s go before you puke.”

  “It’s… so…” she whispered, and then followed him out.

  Quinn grinned and called for the trial area to be cleaned up, and then released the Council for the day.

  Zohn and Quinn started up for their rooms, and decided to stop and see if Emily was feeling better. Chevalier was knelt beside the bed, while Emily sat on the bed and talked to him.

  Zohn knocked and both of them walked in when Chevalier told them to.

  �
��Are you feeling better?” Quinn asked, smiling down at Emily. She was still slightly pale but was no longer a sickening green.

  “Yes, that was disgusting.”

  “Derrick did ask that you not come in,” Zohn reminded her.

  Before Emily could start to argue with Zohn, Chevalier nodded toward the table by the fire, “You seem to have a note.”

  Emily looked over and then quickly got up and grabbed it.

  “Anyone we know?” Zohn asked, frowning.

  “Just another threat,” she said, and shoved the note into her pocket.

  “Not going to read it?”

  “Nope”

  Chevalier stood up, “Let’s all go out riding.”

  “All of us?” Quinn asked, shocked.

  Emily smiled, “He’s afraid to go riding with me. The last time I ditched him and got chased by all three factions before being taken down by Thukil.”

  Quinn chuckled, “I’m not afraid though.”

  “I haven’t been on a horse in hundreds of years,” Zohn said. “I’ll go.”

  “As will I,” Quinn said, and then followed the group down into the stables.

  “Is there a problem, Elders?” Silas asked when all three walked into the stables with Emily.

  “No, we’re going riding though… apparently,” Zohn said, and then turned to Emily as she gathered the bridles.

  “How many Cavalry do you want to go?”

  Zohn turned to Emily, “Em?”

  She thought for a moment, “How many usually accompany the Elders out on a field day?”

  Silas chuckled, “I don’t think the Elders have ever taken a field day.”

  “I don’t think we need Cavalry,” Emily said as she handed Quinn the reins to a horse.

  Kyle came in and laughed, “They’re with you, Em, you’re walking trouble.”

  “I am not!” she said, and then tossed a bridle to him. “Wanna go?”

  “Sure,” he said before disappearing in to get his horse. Twenty minutes later they were all saddled and ready to head out.

  Emily looked over when she heard horses riding closer and saw Mark ride up with most of the Cavalry.

  “We don’t need that many guards,” Emily told him.

  He smiled, “You’re walking trouble, of course you do.”

  “Oh my God! I am not.”

  “We’re here to guard the Elders and Chief Enforcer, not you,” Mark said, amused. “You have to fend for yourself.”

  She smiled and kicked her horse into a slow walk, “True, they are kinda wimpy.”

  Chapter 28

  Emily finally had a moment to herself. She wasn’t sure, but she was suspicious that for some reason, the Cavalry was told to not leave her alone anymore. She hadn’t had one second to herself and she wanted to check out the video feed from the laptop from when she got the last note the week before. Since that note, she hadn’t heard from Charles.

  Once locked in her office, she put her coffee down on her desk and fired up the computer. There were gigs and gigs of video files. The webcam had run continuously on her door for the past week. In just a few minutes, she pulled up the video footage of the day she received the last note, starting with when she left the bedroom for the morning.

  She sat back with her coffee as the video played in fast-forward. It wasn’t until hours later that she saw a lone figure knock on the bedroom door and then kneel down. She slowed the video down and watched as the lock to their bedroom was picked, and someone walked in. He quickly put a note on the table and just as he turned to leave, Emily caught a clear picture of his face. She didn’t know him, but had seen the heku in the palace before.

  Once she was sure of who she was looking for, she left her office, Cavalry in tow, and went down to the first floor of the palace. Without a word, she began walking up and down the halls, stopping at each servant and studying them before moving on.

  She’d always seen this particular heku on the main floor, so once she looked through all of the servants, she started over again, knowing that shift changes were scattered for security and there was always a new heku to find. The Cavalry kept quiet, never asking what she was doing, but she knew her actions had to have gotten back to the Council.

  After rounding the corner and heading toward the kitchen again, Emily saw him. He glanced up nervously from a corner he was mopping, and then turned back to his cleaning. Emily took a deep breath, not sure what she was doing to do exactly, and walked up to him.

  “Excuse me,” she said, stopping behind him.

  He looked up nervously at the Cavalry.

  “Don’t look at them. I’m the one talking to you.”

  He finally nodded and went back to mopping.

  Emily sighed, “Stop cleaning, I need to talk to you in private.”

  “Why?” Horace asked from behind her. She turned at the strange voice and wondered when Horace had been called in.

  “Because I need to talk to him alone.”

  He smiled, “Why?”

  “I just do,” she told him, and then turned to the servant. “You and I need to have a chat.”

  The servant glanced nervously at Emily and slowly nodded.

  “Start talking then,” Horace said, crossing his arms.

  “Not here,” Emily said. “We’ll meet in the conference room.”

  Horace finally nodded, “Sure, go ahead.”

  Emily started for the nearest conference room, but had to stop and wait for the heku servant, who seemed to be hesitating and not in any hurry to be alone with her.

  “Walk faster,” Horace snapped at him.

  The servant jerked slightly and then caught up with them. When Emily stepped into the conference room, Horace stepped in also and shut the door.

  “No, out,” Emily said him as the servant nervously sat down.

  “No, why?” Horace asked.

  “Because I’m on the Council and I said so.”

  He smiled, “That doesn’t work with me.”

  “Chevalier knows I’m doing this, so I’m on my own.”

  His eyes narrowed, “I’ll be right outside the door.” It was more directed toward the heku servant than to Emily. Horace eyed them both and then stepped out and shut the door.

  Emily looked at the servant and then sat across from him, “What’s your name?”

  “Farmer,” he whispered, looking down at the desk.

  “Your name is Farmer?”

  “Yes”

  “Why?”

  “Ma’am?” He looked up at her, confused.

  “Never mind… why are you delivering notes from a Valle to me?”

  “I’m… not.”

  “Yes you are,” she said, starting to get angry. “Don’t lie to me! Are you a Valle spy?”

  He gulped, “No.”

  “Then why are you delivering notes from a Valle? Threatening notes, I might add.”

  “I’m not… just the one… it came to the farmhouse for you and I just delivered it,” he said as his eyes darted around the room.

  “That’s a lie. You picked the lock and delivered a threatening note from a Valle. Either fess up what’s going on or I call for Horace.”

  “No! Listen… I can’t tell you or they’ll kill me.”

  Emily glared at him, “Tell me or I’ll kill you too.”

  “I can’t…”

  “I’m tired of this. Charles and I have a long history of distrust and not a lot of love between us. I’m tired of getting threatened and I want my dog back,” she told him.

  He swallowed hard again and his hands began to shake, “I…”

  “Let’s start like this. You’re a Valle spy.”

  He nodded slightly.

  “You’ve been here for how long?”

  “Seventy three years,” he whispered.

  “So Charles asked you to deliver the notes to me…”

  “No, not Charles.”

  “Who then?”

  “The Council… asked…”

  Emily nodded, �
��So Sotomar is in on it?”

  He nodded.

  “What are they hoping to accomplish?”

  He sighed, knowing either way he went he was a dead heku, “I’m to make sure you come out to the Durango next Friday night at midnight to retrieve your dog and to confront Charles.”

  After thinking it over, she nodded, “Fine. Next Friday night I’ll meet up with Charles at the Durango.”

  “And what about me?” he asked timidly.

  Emily smiled, “Horace?”

  The heku Commander opened the door and stepped in, “Yes?”

  “He’s a Valle spy… do whatever you want with him,” Emily said, smiling.

  “What!? I helped you!” Farmer said suddenly, his eyes fearful.

  “Valle spy?” Horace asked angrily, and took a step forward.

  “No! She’s… she’s lying… she just wants to get me into trouble…”

  “Spy,” Emily said again, and then walked out of the room. She was a little afraid the heku might tear the spy apart and she didn’t want to see that kind of bloodshed again.

  Horace grabbed the servant by the collar on his shirt and roughly pulled him up to the council chambers.

  Derrick saw them coming and took the prisoner from the Commander, “What’s this about?”

  “Lady Emily said he’s a Valle spy,” Horace told him.

  “I’m not!” the heku screamed.

  Derrick shrugged and opened the door. He forcibly pushed the heku to his knees before the curious Council.

  “What’s up, Derrick?” Kyle asked him.

  Derrick moved aside and let Horace answer, “Lady Emily was in the conference room with this heku, and now she claims he’s a Valle spy.”

  Chevalier frowned, “Why were you alone in a conference room with her?”

  “She… she came to where I was cleaning… and ordered me into a conference room. I’m not a spy! I’ve been a loyal Equites for 73 years.”

  “Interesting,” Richard said, scowling down at him. “He’s lying.”

  “So you are a spy,” Chevalier said to him.

  “No!”

  Richard nodded, “He is.”

  “How did Emily know?” Kyle asked him.

  “She doesn’t know anything, I’m no a spy!”

  “Ask Emily to come here,” Zohn said.